Ceratocarpus arenarius L.

This is a polymorphic but clearly outlined species. Attempts to segregate eastern forms as a separate species, Ceratocarpus turkestanicus (C. utriculosus), were based on minor, variable, and non-correlated characters, such as branching habit, broader vs. narrower leaves, obovoid vs. trigonous fruiting bractlets, etc.

The plant is a common ephemeral in deserts.

C.turkestanica Sav.-Rycz. (in Kom., 1.c. 874) was said to differ by its broader leaves 15-50 x 2-10 mm, linear-oblong, and obovoid bracteoles 5-10 (-15) x 4-7 mm. Some of our specimens cited above (collected by S.Kitamura from Quetta and S.I.Ali from Murree) are very similar to this. These variations may be due to age or habitat.

Plants 5-30 cm tall. Leaves 0.5-4 × 0.1-0.5 cm. Male flowers: perianth yellow, ca. 1.5 mm, membranous; filaments short, filiform; anthers subglobose. Utricle 5-10 × 2-5 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr-Jul.

Annual, greyish herb with stellate-dendroid hairs, up to 30 cm high, branched from the base, the alternate forking branches often giving it a spherical tumble-weed shape; stem and branches stellate and long hairy, densely so in the lower parts. Leaves alternate, opposite or in whorls of 3 at the crotches, linear-filiform to linear, entire cuspidate, 1-nerved, lower 5-25 (-50) x 2-5 (-10) mm with a short mucro; upper leaves or female bracts much narrower, ± long cuspidate, covered with stellate hairs, long unbranched jointed hairs sometimes arising from the centre of the stellate hairs. Perianth of staminate flowers oblong-ovate, with obtuse lobes, sparsely covered with fugacious stellate hairs. Ovary densely stellate-hairy, hidden within bracteoles. Fruiting bracteoles oblong-obcuneate, (3.5-) 5-7 x 2.5-4 mm, with a longitudinal nerve on each side and with straight spreading subulate spines, up to 5 mm long, at the margins and apex.

Distribution: W. & C. Asia. E. Europe, Turkey, Iran to Pakistan.

Fl. Per.: June-July.

A plant of sandy areas; easily recognized by its annual habit, stellate-dendroid indumentum and spine-tipped leaves and bracts.

Gobi desert, arid slopes, sands, wastelands. N Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Mongolia, Pakistan, SE Russia; C and SW Asia, SE Europe (S Ukraine, rarely introduced elsewhere)].

Ceratocarpus caput-medusae Bluket; C. turkestanicus Savicz-Ryczegorski ex Iljin; C. utriculosus Bluket.

C.caputmedusae Bluk. in Krylov, Fl. Sib.occ. 4: 905. 1930; C.utriculosus Bluk., l.c. 24 et 31 (nomen); C.turkestanicus Sav.-Ryz. in Kom., FI. URSS 6: Addenda 874 and 111. pl.2, fig. 14. 1936.